In Wireless access networks, such as wireless mesh networks, Wireless Local Area Networks (WLAN), Worldwide Inter-operability for Microwave Access (WiMax) networks and wireless cellular networks, deployments of the networks are popular to provide broadband connectivity to large user populations. For instance, wireless mesh networks are being deployed in many cities in order to provide ubiquitous Internet access. Thus, wireless mesh networks provide citywide wireless coverage through the careful deployment of mesh nodes.
Evaluating performance of wireless access networks is useful for deploying and optimizing the networks. For example, evaluating performance may be useful for determining whether a wireless access network provides adequate service within a desired coverage area.
Even though wireless access networks are popular, no systematic studies have been conducted to assess a wireless access network's actual performance. Furthermore, evaluating a wireless access network's actual performance is difficult. For example, each node location has a different coverage area, varying with distance and terrain, which makes it difficult to estimate performance. In addition, exhaustive measurements to determine performance, such as performing measurements at every possible client location in a wireless access network, or using detailed computational ray-tracing approaches to determine performance can be expensive to obtain. Ray-tracing involves detailed propagation calculations, requiring highly detailed descriptions of the physical environment, including dimensions and makeup of all potential obstacles and scatterers. Thus, ray-tracing is not usually highly accurate because of the difficulty in obtaining the detailed descriptions of the environment.